MDC finally fires its president Morgan Tsvangirai

MDC-T leader Mr Morgan Tsvangirai has been expelled from the party after being found guilty by a three-member tribunal set-up by the MDC Renewal Team to probe a host of allegations levelled against him.

MDC-T national chairman Mr Lovemore Moyo was also expelled alongside Mr Tsvangirai for the role he played in causing problems in the party, among other accusations. The tribunal consisted of lawyers Messrs Gift Nyandoro, Tafadzwa Mugabe and Edwin Hamunakwadi.

The faction proceeded to expel Mr Tsvangirai and Mr Moyo despite a High Court order on last Friday to stop implementing the Mandel meeting resolutions.

Reads the tribunal verdict; "We, therefore, hold that in terms of the powers bestowed upon us by Article 12.2 of the MDC constitution, respondent (Mr Tsvangirai) be and is hereby expelled from the MDC.

"For our findings above, we are satisfied, on the facts provided before us that the Respondent (Mr Tsvangirai) has committed serious misdemeanours. We have no doubt in our minds that he failed to uphold the Constitution of the MDC, he failed to lead the party, he brought the party into disrepute and he caused divisions and was at the centre of divisions in the party."

According to the charge sheet, Mr Tsvangirai was accused of; (a) failing to uphold the constitution of the MDC, (b) to oversee and uniting the party, (c) to implement disciplinary proceedings in the party and (d) to ensure primary elections of the party were conducted in a fair and judicious manner.

On Mr Moyo, Mr Nyandoro's team noted: "In the circumstances, we are unanimous that Mr Lovemore Moyo should be expelled from the MDC and we so hold accordingly."

This comes after Mr Tsvangirai through lawyers Mwonzora and Associates, MDC-T — through Mr Thamsanqa Mahlangu and Mr Moyo — last week filed an urgent chamber application at the High Court seeking an order barring the Renewal Team from implementing the resolution of the Mandel Training Centre.

The Mandel meeting was held in March this year. The urgent application was filed barely two days after the same faction filed a normal court application seeking to be declared the legitimate custodians of the party and an order compelling the Biti faction to return party assets in its possession.

However, in arriving at its verdict, the tribunal noted that it had carefully considered the "brave role" that Mr Tsvangirai played in the party.4

"However, it is in terms of the evidence provided before us that he (Mr Tsvangirai) has become a liability to the democratic struggle in Zimbabwe. It is clear to us that our function is simply to determine whether misconduct has been proved and what kind of sentence to mete out," the tribunal said.

The tribunal said the misdemeanours committed were so gross and that the only punishment that met the same was expulsion from the party.